The Delhi High Court on Tuesday has directed the Department of Education and the Urban Development Department of the Delhi Govt. to file a status report indicating the amounts that are due and payable for the Financial Year 2020–21 towards the salary component of teachers engaged by the Nr.DMC.
The Court has also directed North Municipal Corporation of Delhi to file status report indicating the amount that has been released to its teachers & the number of teachers who have received such amount and for which period.
A bench of Justice Hima Kohli & Justice Subramonium Prasad was informed by the Delhi Government, Deptt. of Education that vide order dated 24.07.2020, GNCTD has sanctioned a sum of Rs 49.17 crores to the Nr.DMC towards Grant in Aid for disbursing salaries to the teachers of the Nr.DMC for April, 2020, under the Scheme of Primary Education, for the year 2020-21.
“As regards the Grant in aid for the month of May, 2020, the Finance Department has sanctioned a sum of Rs 49.17 crores to the Nr.DMC vide Order dated 01.05.2020, for implementing the Scheme of primary education under the salary component for the year 2020-21”, informed to Court by GNCTD.
On enquiry, the Counsel further informed that for the month of June 2020, the amount was released on 29/06/2020 and in all probabilities the said amount would have been remitted into account of the Nr.DMC.
This submission by GNCTD was disputed by the Senior Counsel Mr Phoolka along with Standing Counsel Ms Pushkarna appearing for North Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and stated that his briefing counsel will have to ascertain whether a sum of Rs 49.16 crore has been received by the Nr.DMC or not. He further stated that Govt of NCTD has not released the amounts due and payable to the Nr.DMC for the month of June, 2020. He informed the Court that the salary of all 9,000 teachers employed by the Nr.DMC was released in February, 2020 but salary for the month of March, 2020 has been paid only to 5,400 teachers employed by the Nr.MCD on COVID-19 duties. He said that the salary of the remaining 3,600 teachers has not been released for the month of March, 2020 and no salary has been paid to any of the teachers employed by the Nr.DMC for three months, from April, 2020 till June, 2020.
The Delhi High Court has directed the Department of Education and the Urban Development Department of the Delhi Govt. to file status report indicating the amounts that are due and payable for the Financial Year 2020–21 towards the salary component of teachers engaged by the Nr.DMC, the amounts that have been released on this head in the quarter ending, June, 2020 and the amounts that are due and payable.
“Similarly, Nr.DMC Shall also file a Status Report with a tabulated statement indicating the amounts that it is required to disburse in the year 2021 towards its share of the salaries payable to teachers engaged by it, the amounts that have been released till the quarter ending June, 2020 and the extent of the unpaid amounts,” directed the Court.
The Delhi High Court was hearing the Suo Motu petition initiated by itself over non payment of salaries of teachers in the Nr.DMC while terming it as Sorry state of affairs. “This is Sorry State of Affairs. Teachers belong to one of the noble professions and as they are made to do COVID-19 duty also, they can be equated to COVID-19 warriors. Despite that, they have been deprived of their Dues since March 2020,” the bench had said.
The matter would now be heard on July 9.
-India Legal Bureau